The Community Cookbook Library

Long before Pinterest, there was the community cookbook, an authentic collection of shared recipes that told the story of a people and a place. We cooked from dozens of our dog-eared favorites to unearth vintage recipes for today's home cook.

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You might not know it driving past the town on I-75, but some of the best hostesses in the world reside in the 14.6 square miles of Griffin, Georgia, where, according to The Stuffed Griffin, “gracious ‘dining in’ is a practiced art.” Published in 1976 by the town’s Utility Club of Griffin, the recipe collection is stuffed cover to cover with ideas and recipes, some 370 pages of them. All of the archetypal community cookbook dishes are in here, from the Cheese Ball to the Coca-Cola Cake. So, too, are menus for any occasion. Try the “Seasonal Lunches for Ten, Dinner for Twenty-Five,” or age-appropriate theme parties from “Celebrations for The Very Young.” Our cult favorite, though, is “Cooking with Flowers.” Day Lily Casserole, anyone?